QuestionThanks for the feedback. I currently have a set of FOCAL 165V2 POLYGLASS 6.5 (not the slim version) for the rear doors (Nissan Titan Truck) and are unsure if I should upgrade the front doors to FOCAL 165V2 POLYGLASS 6.5 or add another set of the polyglass 165V2's. My head unit is an Alpine DVA 9861 and might add there Alpine PXA-H701 multimedia manager, but are not clear if the PXA will actually give me true DVD Audio or still the 2 channel version from the head unit. I will later (next year) add a JLAudio stealth sub (designed for the Titan).
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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Hi. I am looking for the best sounding amp. 75w RMS or higher. I am looking at Alpine PDX 4.150 and JLAudio 300/4, but it is hard to measure based on specs only. Each company rate them differently. I just want clear, clean sound with no noise. Will run 4 Focal component speakers. Thanks Louis
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http://www.caraudiomag.com/0607_cae_alpine_pdx_4150_amplifier/
http://www.carsound.com/reviews/amps/jl_3004.html
From the reviews above it is clear both are very respectable amplifiers.
It turns out, however, that speaker specifications fall far below any good amplifier. The speaker is always the weakest link in a system because of the very difficult task of converting electrical signals into acoustic waves that sound like the original recordings. Thus, I always encourage a disproportionate amount of effort and investment into the speaker system.
In amplifiers you get distortion as low as 0.01% and frequency response flat as a ruler all the way across the audio band. But, with loudspeakers you cannot even approach those kinds of technical achievements.
So, maybe the best approach, now that you have two choices that are equally good from a performance/technical point of view, is to choose on interface, features, installation and aesthetics.
All things being equal, I would recommend the JL.
http://www.epinions.com/616027_JL_Audio_75W_x_4_Amplifier_300_4/display_~reviews
Good comments from those in the above link. Price is much less than Alpine.
The only reason I can see to justify the Alpine is prestige and reliability (which is only sightly better than JL on the whole).
Either amp will give you good, clean, clear sound and both are very low noise properly installed. And, I am sure either one will drive the Focal speakers well.
If you could tell me the car and the speaker models that you have chosen I can be a little more specific with recommendations.
Best wishes,
Cleggsan
AnswerWith an Alpine head unit, it makes sense to go with the Alpine amplifier. (I did not comment previously about it being a class D circuit. They are a little controversial in that they do make some interference with some products and they do have a little bit higher distortion than conventional analog amps, but the distortion level is still very low. The big benefit is their small size, very low heat output and low current draw for the amount of power they push into the speakers).
Speaker selection for trucks is very much a trial and error proposition. Unfortunately, it is not a simple matter to change them out once installed. I think the ones you have in there will do just fine if you like the sound.
My experience is that a good subwoofer always makes the sound so much more realistic; it adds 3 times the improvement in overall sound experience than a good tweeter, for example. So, I favor devoting more attention to the sub than to the door speaker at this stage of your system develoopment. Just my personal opinion.
Congratulations of a great system. Wish I could hear it!
cleggsan
